The Siq (Arabic: السيق, transliterated al-Sīq, transcribed as-Sīq, literally ‘the Shaft’) is the main entrance to the ancient
city of Petra in southern Jordan. The dim, narrow gorge (in some points
no more than 3 m wide) winds its way approximately 1.2 km (about one
mile) and ends at Petra’s most elaborate ruin, Al Khazneh (the
Treasury). A wide valley outside leading to the Siq is known as the Bab as-Sīq (Gateway to the Siq).
Unlike slot canyons like Antelope Canyon, which are directly shaped by water, the Siq is a natural geological fault
split apart by tectonic forces; only later was it worn smooth by water.
The walls that enclose the Siq stand between 91–182 m (300–600 feet) in
height.
The entrance to the Siq contains a huge dam, reconstructed in
1963 and again in 1991, designed to bar the mouth of the Siq and
reroute the waters of Wadi Musa. The dam is a fairly true reconstruction
of what the Nabataeans did to control Wadi Musa between the 1st century
BC and the beginning of the 1st century AD. The entrance also contains
the remnants of a monumental arch, of which only the two abutments and
some hewn stones of the arch itself have survived. The arch collapsed in
1896 following an earthquake, but its appearance is known from the
lithographs of Matthew Boulby and David Roberts.
The Siq was used as the grand caravan entrance into Petra. Along both walls of the fissure are a number of votive niches containing baetyli,
which suggest that the Siq was sacred to the Nabatean people. In 1998, a
group of statues were uncovered when digging was conducted to lower the
road by more than six feet. Although the upper part is greatly eroded,
it is still possible to recognise the figures of two merchants, each
leading two camels. The figures are almost twice lifesize.
Along the Siq are some underground chambers, the function of
which has not yet been clarified. The possibility that they were tombs
has been excluded, and archaeologists find it difficult to believe that
they were dwellings. The majority consensus is that they housed the
guards that defended the main entrance to Petra.
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